Comments, at last!

And then I didn't bother to look at my blog again for... two and a half months...? Yikes.

And so what if one of the original four comments was an ad? (since deleted...) The three of you who made real comments gave me some worthwhile things to think about, and some kind and welcome words. Thank you all!

And one other note on comments, before I move on. I have deleted a few besides the ad I got rid of this morning. They have all been ads. I won't leave ads on here, with one exception.

I got an ad comment to one of my October 2004 posts, which of course was made not long before Election Day, and I leave it as a memento and a reminder of how these things work. As I sat in my friend's living room in Michigan and typed on his computer, the TV was on and the debates were raging and one comment by our "esteemed" president managed to insinuate itself into my train of thought, and I responded to it in passing. So I got a paid comment from the Bush/Cheney re-election people, whose pleas never fell on more deaf ears. (Would the Kerry folks have done the same if I'd mentioned him? Probably...)

There is a verification feature which would prevent that kind of spam from happening, but I hesitate to turn it on. I don't want to make the legitimate commenters (commentators?) have to jump through hoops just to speak their mind. I know I would hate that. So unless the spam gets too thick, I won't be doing that here.

On other fronts, I have found myself more or less suddenly with a couple of other online outlets: a LiveJournal and a Second Life. So I'm not sure how often I'll get in here, but it's still going to be more often than it was last year, when I had even less going on. Why is this?

Do our dreams feed our dreams? Or do our activities feed our dreams, as our dreams feed our activities?

Posting blues explored

I just discovered someone real made a comment! Thank you! That makes this a better than ordinary day in the blogging world.

One reason I haven't been posting much here is that it feels like I'm just throwing the words out there and they're probably not being read. Since I spend so much time on the forum where I know I'm read and get practically instant feedback sometimes, it's hard to drag myself over here. What can I say here that I haven't already said there?

Fellow bloggers, I'm curious. Do you have the same feeling? Or does it feel in some way worthwhile to put your words online where they may or may not be read, where they are terrifyingly public but likely to be ignored? What does a blog give us that a diary (for private and personal thoughts) or a forum (for broadcast and discussion with others) does not?

I'm back...

It has been over a year since my last post. I came back from vacation and plunged into a very active message board for a game called Uru: Ages Beyond Myst where I found a whole community of friends. I've been having a blast! We don't just discuss the game; we play word games, write stories together, talk about our lives, and studiously avoid heavy discussions of politics and religion (the subjects that tend to get people flaming riled). People there are friendly, supportive, witty and interesting.

If you've played any of the Myst games, you might want to check out this forum. Even if you've never played Uru, you'll probably find it's a fun place (there are some very active members who have never played!)

And there are fora for the other Myst games as well, which you can navigate to from the link provided above.

That's where my writing efforts and attention have been going for the last year, but I'll try to poke my head in here a little more often.

Oh, what a wonderful day!

My feet hurt, I'm about to fall asleep as I type, and I am extraordinarily happy!

I'm also listening to the presidential debates, but I'm not letting that bother me too much.

I spent today with wonderful people, people with whom I worked years ago and with whom I share wonderful memories.

I'm sorry, the debates have interrupted my thoughts. Isn't "interpretation" a form of "personal opinion," Mr. Bush?

Doesn't spoil my day.

Presidents come and go, thankfully; good friends are forever.

The Important things in life

In case you're wondering, yes, I did capitalize the "I" in "important" on purpose.

I spent yesterday evening with friends, dear friends whom I had not seen since the last century. We talked, cooked, ate, remembered, shared, laughed, cried, lived. These are two people who have had a profound influence on my life, although they had no pretensions or expectations that they would. They had that effect only because in their daily lives they are focused on what is important in life: love for one another and for others, and a spiritual understanding which is profound. They are not preachers, although one teaches; they are doers. They are not slaves to a religion. Their understanding is, as is mine, that no one religion has "the truth"; each has a part of the truth, some more and some less, and the challenge is to find and recognize the truth or truths, wherever they lie, without being distracted by the untruthful. But these people are not afraid to immerse themselves in a tradition, to experience its full power and beauty. Nor are these people afraid to enjoy life! Hence the emphasis in our visit, and in their lives, on food, music, poetry, art, creativity, beauty, bunny rabbits, and humor.

I think that one of the best ways to honor another is to rejoice in their accomplishments. Another is to enjoy the fruits of their labors and acknowledge the source of your enjoyment. This goes for the accomplishments and fruits of the labors of God, as well. Enjoy life, enjoy one another, and you honor the Source of all. Last night was especially wonderful because I got to do all of that. I got to immerse myself in the Important things in life.

And I got to pet the bunnies.

Coming Home

Sometimes you don't realize how much you miss a place until you come back to it. I am in Ann Arbor, (well, Ypsilanti, close enough), Michigan, for the first time in several years. I lived there for about 20 years, and I do indeed miss it very much. I almost cried (would have, if I hadn't had to drive!) when I crossed the state line from Ohio to Michigan. So forgive me if I don't post much for a few days. I have access, but I also have other things to do, and limited time in which to do them.

I sat on the porch of my friend's farmhouse for probably half an hour just now, just being here. When was the last time I did that? I forget, it's been so long. I actually thought of so many things to write about on the way here. Now I just want to go off and do, and be.

As I've said before, no time like the present.

SpaceShipOne triumphant! plus the countdown continues...

SpaceShipOne made its second flight today, successfully to all appearances. I have not yet heard if the verifications have all been done to give it official status as the X Prize winner, but at last check it looked promising. Kudos to the team, once again. It is an accomplishment of which to be proud.

I am on my own trajectory towards liftoff to Ann Arbor, in less than 48 hours now. I am very excited! One of the best parts of this whole endeavor for me has been getting back in touch with friends, including many whom I will not see this trip. It is good to have made the connection, even if we cannot meet in person at this time. I love you all, if you're reading (and even if you're not!), and I'm looking forward to seeing you again, if not this week, then sometime!